61340 Vorabseiten_e - Unabhängige Expertenkommission Schweiz

the shock of adjustment caused by the anticipation of war. Due to the fact that
the conception of a national defence and the organisations involved in this task
are inherently based on «an enormously high level of militarisation», army
leaders were quickly faced with the question as to whether the available
personnel resources were to be used on the military or, alternatively, the civil
side. If the mobilisation of hundreds of thousands of soldiers lasted over a long
period of time, the «flagging [...] of the economic life of the country» was to be
expected. If, on the other hand, a rapid demobilisation took place, the «fighting
strength» would be seriously undermined. 26 This dilemma was particularly
evident during the Second World War. On the one hand there was controversy
about the mobilisation or demobilisation of troops in times of danger. On the
other hand, the so-called «military dispensation system» which decided on
requests to be excused, became embroiled in the area of conflicting interests and
proved to be a permanent problem. The fact that the economy was crucial – for
the food-supply of the country and for safeguarding purchasing power and
export activities – resulted in the realisation that «it was in no way possible to
maintain authentic military readiness throughout the entire period of active
military service». 27
Neutrality
An important element of the Swiss national identity is its neutrality. Not only
was it a significant principle of foreign policy, it also eased various areas of
conflict within Switzerland. The primary example of this is the relationship
between the German-speaking and French-speaking areas of Switzerland which
had been psychologically affected by the «traditional hostility» between
Germany and France since the beginning of the 19 th century. This conflict had
escalated to a dangerous level amongst the population during the First World
War due to the opposing declarations of solidarity with the warring powers. In
the 1930s a new European situation developed where the German-French area
of conflict could have resulted in extreme oppositional positions in Switzerland.
However, the centrifugal tendencies were contained both by the so-called
«Geistige Landesverteidigung», with its effect of bringing about consensus, and a
neutrality policy with a strong domestic focus.
With regard to foreign policy, Switzerland had documented in the «London
Declaration» of 13 February 1920 that, despite its membership in the League
of Nations and its willingness to participate in economic sanctions, its «eternal
neutrality» was recognised amongst the states. In 1938, the League of Nations
Council released Switzerland from this commitment and permitted it to revert
to «integral neutrality». Switzerland was very satisfied when Reichskanzler Adolf
Hitler declared in February 1937 that he respected the inviolability of
66